Our View: Crime Stoppers helps catch, prevent community crime

Two banks in Adrian are robbed, Lenawee County churches are burglarized and a parolee absconding from supervision is finally found — after he robs a liquor store and engages in a standoff with police.

Lenawee County crime may not be any worse than in the past, but one thing it’s missing right now is Crime Stoppers of Lenawee County’s ability to offer rewards. Due to a lack of funding, the donation-supported and volunteer-led group is still seeking between $1,000 and $2,000 by July to meet its basic expenses for liability insurance and licensing fees for the software that handles anonymous tips.

That’s not a lot of money. It’s a service that covers the entire county, quickly distributing tips to the appropriate local agencies. When a thief robbed Walmart last year, an anonymous tip helped authorities apprehend the suspect within 20 minutes.

It’s a bad time for the community not to have a way for residents to hear about rewards for calling or texting anonymous tips. Crime Stoppers, though, can’t very well offer rewards if it doesn’t have the money to pay them.

The Blissfield Kiwanis Club recently stepped up with a $300 donation. It increased Crime Stoppers’ savings by 50 percent, which shows how little this valuable service actually costs.

The payoff is far more in helping citizens provide extra help to keep our communities safer. As Crime Stoppers president Bill Wise pointed out, someone usually has information that would solve a crime — and prevent future ones.

People or groups willing to help are encouraged to call either 266-6161 or 877-276-8477 and leave their contact information.

This is a valuable tool for citizens and law enforcement, and we encourage its support.